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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 1st, 2022–Mar 2nd, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Rockies.

Avoid steep slopes while the snowpack adjusts to the new snow. 

Danger may be lower in the north of the region where there has been less snow and rain. 

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Tuesday Night: Flurries 1-5 cm, moderate to strong southwest wind, freezing levels falling to 1700-1900 m by the morning.

Wednesday: 5-10 cm of snow possibly 10-15 cm in the south of the region. Strong wind in the morning decreasing to moderate west in the afternoon. Freezing levels around 2000 m falling to 800 m in the evening.

Thursday: Light snow 3-5 cm, light to moderate south wind, freezing levels around 1000 m.

Friday: Trace of snow, light north wind, skies clearing, freezing level valley bottom.

Avalanche Summary

Tuesday: Neighbours immediately to the south reported a widespread, wet avalanche cycle to size 3. Several natural size 2 wet avalanches were seen on Wapiti Mountain near Elkford.

Monday: Several natural size 2 storm slab avalanches were spotted by the South Rockies field team just north of Sparwood. In the southeast of the region operators reported size 1-1.5 skier controlled storm slabs and loose wet avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

Snowfall amounts have varied substantially since the start of the week with south of highway 3 receiving 30-50 cm and the north getting 10-20 cm. This fell as rain at lower elevations. Wind loading from moderate to strong southwest wind continues. New snow will need time to bond to a variety of old surfaces such as firm wind-pressed snow, sun crust on solar aspects, and potentially weak, sugary crystals on shaded aspects.

The middle and lower snowpack are generally well consolidated, with a crust/facet layer from early December found near the bottom of the snowpack. It is currently considered dormant but could become active later this season. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.